


Like the Phoenix, I will Rise Up (And Burn You Down)

by thatfuckingfang



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Choose Your Own Ending, Gen, Good Dudley Dursley, Good Dursley Family, Good Severus Snape, James Potter Bashing, James Potter Lives, Lily Evans Potter Bashing, Lily Lives, Wrong Boy-Who-Lived
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-17
Updated: 2018-10-30
Packaged: 2019-03-05 23:35:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13398660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatfuckingfang/pseuds/thatfuckingfang
Summary: When Harry is dropped off, Petunia sees a chance to make wrongs right.





	1. Chapter 1

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Now who could that be at 5 in the morning?" Petunia wondered.

"Probably nothing, Pet." Vernon grumbled. "Go back to bed, I'll see what it is."

Vernon went downstairs, and opened the front door to see the milkman. In his hands was the Dursley's milk, and on the step was a blanket with a letter on top. Vernon bent down, and had a look. 'Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey' the address read. No postcode, no stamp. Who would have left a child on a doorstep in October, well, November now.

"I'll just take the child in, and come back out for the milk if that's alright George." Vernon carefully lifted the little one and took it through to the dining room. "Pet?" he called. "It was something, George has good reason for waking us up." Vernon waited for Petunia to come down to watch the small child, and went back for the milk. Goodness knows the child will need it. Who knows how long it's been since they ate.

"Vernon, it's Lily. Her son." Petunia had opened the letter in Vernon's absence, and was slowly reading through it.

"Why have they left him on our doorstep then? Is Lily-?"

"She's fine. You know how I mentioned a Dark Lord? Apparently, their other son has defeated the madman, so the venerable headmaster has declared that Harry should be foisted off onto us so that dear Ethan can be trained without his brother, and I quote 'becoming jealous of his fame, power, and general goodness'." Petunia and Vernon shared a dark look. Lily had always been their mother's favourite. Petunia had tried so hard to be good, cleaning the house, going grocery shopping, gardening, cooking their mother and father's favourite meals, and they only loved Lily all the more with every rule that she broke. Of course, when they found out Lily was a witch, Petunia thought that their parents would love her more, with Lily away. She had always been jealous.

"Are they bloody insane! They have no idea what kind of people we are! Any decent person would do more research into a kennel!" Vernon was trying not to wake little Harry or Dudley upstairs, but the sheer audacity of Lily and James, and that infernal meddling Headmaster. If they were afraid that Harry would turn dark staying with the Potters, they would learn what vindictive people without magic could do.

\-------------

As the rest of Privet Drive began to wake up from a long night's slumber, Petunia and Vernon found another unexpected visitor on their doorstep. "Severus, I was about to try and write to you." Petunia found herself saying, no real bite in her voice. Years of not thinking about wizards tends to do that to a person. Forget the reason to dislike someone, forget the dislike.

Eventually.

"Honestly?" Severus drawled. "And why would you possibly extend such a dubious pleasure? We haven't been in contact since Lily-"

"And Lily is why I need your help, Severus. She has seen fit to send Vernon and I her oldest son. We are certain that he will need training of some sort, even if it's how to ignore the Potters when he goes to Hogwarts, if he decides to go. For now, I'm certain it'll be Vernon and I needing the help. How on earth does one raise a child that can bend the rules of reality to their whim? I don't know how mother did it." Severus raised first one, then both eyebrows as Petunia speaks.

"I fear I know very little about raising children. Perhaps his godfather would be a better choice?" Severus seemed almost like he didn't care, which Petunia knew meant he cared an awful lot. It was one of the many eccentricities of the man.

"Perhaps."

\-----------

Remus Lupin threw himself at James when he heard what James had done. Sirius was equally furious, if not more so. "WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU DO SUCH A SELF-ABSORBED, INCONSIDERATE THING, JAMES FLEAMONT POTTER?" Remus growled, as Sirius shouted. James simply looked shocked that they cared so much. The less valuable brat was gone, leaving his pride and joy to be raised in a loving, magical home.

"I'm gone, James." Sirius coldly stated, when James' lack of care became too apparent to ignore.

"I'm with my mate, Potter." Remus didn't even look at James as he left. "Lily? You can come too, if you want. Let's get your son back." She didn't even look up.

\-------------

"Harry is an old Potter name. Perhaps we should change it." Petunia looked around the room as it went silent. Grimmauld place was looking less and less like its name, and more like a house befitting the Lord of the Ancient and Noble House of Black. "Maybe a star, for his Black blooded dogfathers, and a plant for his non-magical blood?"

"How about Rowan Phoenix? Rowan for how, like a tree he'll have deep roots in our hearts and in the Earth, and Phoenix for how he's risen above where he had been condemned to." Sirius offered.

They all nodded in agreement, and Rowan gurgled happily. Dudley shuffled himself closer and threw an arm over his smaller cousin.

\------------

When Rowan received a letter in green ink on thick, yellow paper they all knew the time had come. He was as prepared as he could be. Time to show the Wizarding World what exactly it had thrown away less than 10 years prior.

Severus, Remus and Sirius took Rowan Evans-Dursley-Black to Diagon Alley by bus. Not the Knight Bus, not after the syrup incident. Sirius shuddered at the memory. Robes were purchased from Twillfit and Tattings, a much more upmarket shop than Madam Malkin's. Afterwards, it was to Flourish and Blotts for books, potions ingredients from the apothecary then finally a wand.

After being truly creeped out by the wandmaker, Ollivander, Rowan left clutching his very own wand! 13 inches, walnut wood for adaptability, phoenix feather for a great range of magic and reasonably supple flexibility for how changeable he could be.

Then the Potters arrived. Great. Time to go.

\------------

Rowan hated Apparition with a vicious and vindictive passion, but needs must. The Potters may have gotten too close, and they would have been crushed by the reporters and the screaming fans. "Successful trip?" Petunia wandered out of the kitchen, Kreacher following behind her, positively gleeful. The portrait of Walburga Black leaned forward, clearly interested in her heir.

"In and out, no fuss as always Petunia. Why do you always ask?" Remus shook his head at his oblivious mate. Petunia relaxed minutely at Sirius' response. Kreacher began to usher everyone into the kitchen for dinner, but Rowan waited out in the hall, reassuring them that he would only be a minute.

"Child, are you well?" Walburga looked down from her frame at the young boy. "You don't tend to stay away from Kreacher's cooking."

"I wanted your advice on something, Auntie. What should I do at school? Where should I ask to be Sorted? What if everyone finds out?" As he spoke, Rowan paced back and forth across the hallway.

"All I can say is what I told Regulus when he was your age. If anyone tries anything, rumors or otherwise, you have the power of House Black behind you. We protect our own and our values. Toujours Pur, little one, Toujours Pur." Walburga wished, not for the first time, that she could reach down and hug Rowan close until all his self-doubt faded away.

\----------

When Rowan arrived at Hogwarts, he was grateful that he had been enrolled as Rowan Black, so he could get his Sorting over and done with. "Barrios, Trevor!" was Sorted into "RAVENCLAW!" and Rowan was next.


	2. QUESTION!!!

The final vote stands at:

Gryffindor still with 0

Ravenclaw with 5

Hufflepuff with 12

And Slytherin winning by a landslide with 20 votes!

 

Thank you to everyone for voting, and thanks for the reasons you gave. Next chapter should be out before December (but no promises).

 

(I've also edited last chapter due to multiple complaints - the person Sorted before Rowan is now Trevor Barrios (OC Ravenclaw), better?)


End file.
